


The Pretty One

by Louffox



Series: The Feel-Goods [3]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Birthday time!, Clothes, Clubbing, Dancing, Everything is pure and lovely and nothing hurts, Frosting fight, Love, M/M, Music, Partying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-06
Updated: 2017-08-06
Packaged: 2018-12-12 03:16:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11728353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Louffox/pseuds/Louffox
Summary: It's Magnus's birthday. What does one get his rich, immortal, magical boyfriend? Anything and everything he wants, of course. Alec decides to get involved in all the things he doesn't understand but Magnus seemed to love. Clothes, makeup, jewelry, booze, sweets, and dancing.Next year he was going to have a hell of a time trying to top this birthday.





	The Pretty One

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't mean for this to become such a long and involved story- really, I meant for it to be just a short snippet, but it sort of pulled me in.
> 
> Also-  
> *slams hands on table* BORN THIS WAY IS AN AMAZING SONG AND WILL NEVER GET OLD, NO MATTER HOW OVERPLAYED OR DATED IT IS

It was Magnus’s birthday.

 

Alec only knew because Dorothea had told him, and it was great fun to watch Magnus fume and try to guess who told. But the secret was out, and Alec had gotten him a present. Of sorts.

 

Shopping for a rich magical immortal wasn't feasible, even if Alec had good taste. (He didn't. The extent of his fashion knowledge was limited to understanding that everything matched with jeans, and everything matched with black.)

 

So he’d turned to his friends for advice. Once Jace was done bragging about his thoughtful gift giving abilities and Izzy was finally convinced that he just wasn't going to do the wildly sexual gifts she suggested, Clary spoke up.

 

“What if… you gave him yourself?”

 

“He won't talk about his sex life,” Isabelle said, still pouting.

 

“No, not like that, I mean… a fantasy, but not a weird one. Like, a romantic gesture you know would mean a lot to him. Show an above and beyond amount in his interests. Are there things he likes that you don't really do, that you'd only do for a special occasion?”

 

And that had somehow turned into this.

 

“You don't actually have to do this. Just spending time with you is a gift, on the couch in pajamas, in bed naked, or in a club in neon, it makes no difference to me,” Magnus reassured him.

 

“No, I really do want to do this. I just- clubs were only ever places to bargain with an enemy or bait a demon. Neither are exactly fun. I might decide I don't like it, but I want to keep an open mind and try to experience a club the way it's supposed to be experienced,” he said with certainty, surprised at how true it was. He really was curious- Magnus loved clubs, and so many other people did, and he was committed to finding out what the allure was. He was terrified of embarrassing himself somehow, but was also desperate to understand what all the hype was about.

 

But as he said, he wanted the full experience. Which meant asking Magnus to dress him up.

 

He felt silly when he suggested it, as if he were offering himself to be a play doll, but Magnus lit up. “Oh, darling, I've been dying to introduce you to all the gay fashion you've been missing out on.”

 

“Just… maybe no sequins?”

 

“No, sequins and glitter are my thing, you can't have that. No, no, I've got a better plan for you. Don't worry, whatever you're expecting, it won't be that bad.”

 

And… it wasn't.

 

Magnus’s wardrobe was enormous and spanned centuries. It was also incredibly disorganized, a mess of taffeta and lace and leather and sequins, denim and wool, spandex and silk. Alec was relieved to see Magnus was sticking to modern things, as he reached into the chaos and plucked out clothes for Alec to try. A black shirt with buttons going up both sides of the chest like a military uniform with small chains across the collar; a dull gray tunic with bright silver fastenings; a charcoal blazer with gold shoulder spikes; a dark green silk shirt; pants in dark colors with subtle stripes or leather patches, chains and eyelets. 

 

Magnus held them up, and finally discarded all but three outfits. Alec tried each on, and they settled on the clear winner.

 

He had on a simple olive green tank top with several tears and burn marks, and a low enough collar that it showed nearly six inches of chest and a lot of his runes. Over that was a black blazer with dull silver chains hanging over his shoulders, and the elbows torn to show his bare arms beneath.

 

“Okay, but what about pants?” Alec asked. He was just in his briefs with the rest of the ensemble.

 

Magnus’s gaze felt like a physical thing, running up and down Alec appreciatively. “Well… you could just go in that,” he purred. 

 

Alec crossed his arms and tried to scowl. “You’re kidding, right?”

 

Magnus just winked and whirled back to the wardrobe. “Have it your way, then. I was thinking gray, or silver… or these,” he exclaimed, pulling a handful of black material out of a drawer. He tossed it to Alec, who held them up. They were black pants, with alternating lines of material-

 

“Is that- mesh?”

 

“No, it’s more of a gauzy spandex. Translucent, though. Just around your knees and lower thighs, nothing all that naughty.”

 

“They’re really… small.”

 

“They’re stretchy. Be mad at Raphael, not me, it’s his fault we’re celebrating.”

 

“Raphael didn’t tell me.”

 

“Dammit. I’ll figure it out eventually and get vengeance,” Magnus laughed.

 

Alec eyed them, and sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed to start pulling them on. They did fit, though Alec knew he saw a few sparks run along the seams to help him along. Magnus was tall, but he was taller, so they shouldn’t have fit as well as they did.

 

“These are practically painted on,” he grumbled, standing and lifting his knees a little to stretch and move in the tight pants. They technically qualified as jeans- they had the pockets and rivets, a zip and a button- but hugged him in ways he hadn’t expected. It was odd. Not bad, exactly. Just different.

 

“It’s a good thing I love you,” he declared, looking at himself in the full length mirror, turning this way and that to see how ridiculously tight it was across his ass. He turned to look at Magnus when he didn’t hear a reply.

 

Magnus was standing, frozen, blinking a little. He looked dazed, and then gave his head a little shake, finally lifting his eyes to meet Alec’s. “You know- I change my mind. We’re not going anywhere,” he rumbled.

 

“No, there will be plenty of that later, I promise. But we’re going out. I got into this getup, and now I’m gonna do the club scene.”

 

Though he would hate to admit it… he actually kind of liked the clothes. Mostly, he liked how Magnus was looking at him, hungrily and a little in awe, but he found the clothes- even the pants- to make him feel… happy. He felt kind of giddy and brave.It was a good feeling. Not good enough to dress like this every day, but… maybe he’d actually go on one of Magnus and Izzy’s shopping trips next time. He felt powerful and strong, with the softly jangling chains on his shoulders and the taut material over his back and round his legs.

 

Magnus huffed and gave him a firm kiss with a bit more tongue than the situation called for, but relented.

 

“Now. I picked out your clothes, do you want to pick out mine?” Magnus asked, shrugging out of the soft tunic he’d been wearing.

 

“Uh, no. No way. You’re better at this. I’ll- I’m gonna start learning. Maybe. But I don’t want to- I wouldn’t even know where to start.”

 

“If you wish. Will you at least pick a color?”

 

“Blue,” Alec said without hesitation.

 

“Like… this?” Magnus held up a robin’s egg blue vest. Alec shook his head and looked around, then spotted what he was looking for. He leaned over to Magnus’s jewelry box and picked up a brilliant sapphire pendant, and held it up.

 

“This shade of blue.”

 

Neither of them had to say it, but they knew Alec was talking about the color of the sparks his magic usually produced, when he snapped his fingers to open a door, when he healed a small wound, when he conjured a portal, when he was falling apart in bed with Alec and the entire room lit up.

 

Magnus grinned widely. He picked the outfit, but asked Alec’s opinion on everything. It was actually really fun, and Alec, ever the studious one, was mentally taking notes on each decision.

 

He ended up in a black silk shirt that hung all the way down between his pecs, a sapphire blue vest, and a pair of matching blue leather fingerless gloves. He wore sequined black pants with ladders of tears up the knees.

 

Shoes was another fiasco, and they finally settled on a pair of loose combat boots for Alec (they had silver spikes up the sides) and blue stilettos for Magnus. Then came jewelry- Magnus wore the sapphire pendant and several other long chains of necklaces, bangles, rings, a ear cuff with a chain dropping down to a silver stud in his lobe, and a gossamer silver anklet. Alec got a thick silver egyptian-style necklace that sat heavy and high on his neck, a single clip on sapphire earring, and a number of chain bracelets.

 

Alec was half exhausted by the time they were done. By the Angel, and Magnus did this every day- sometimes even several times a day.

 

“Okay, I’ll just freshen up my makeup, and we’ll be good to go,” Magnus said. Alec chewed his lip.

 

“I- wait.”

 

The warlock turned and appraised him.

 

“I… do you want to do my makeup too?” he asked hesitantly. He had really started to like the clothes, the shoes, and the jewelry. Magnus had ran a handful of musky smelling gel through his hair to give it a bit more lift and spike than usual, and he felt… really good. Like, absurdly good. He knew he had a bit of self-loathing problems, and had been working on those, trying to get past his constant certainty that he was inadequate and not good enough all the time, but that was mostly through reassurances of his peers and constantly reminding himself of the good things in his life.

 

He hadn’t expected that clothes, shoes, jewelry, and a bit of hair gel could have such a massive impact on his sense of self worth. He felt confident and fully happy, which was a hard thing for him to achieve.

 

So if everything else had made him feel this good, why stop there? Izzy had asked if he’d wear makeup and he’d said no, but with each accessory and touch up, he was feeling more and more strong.

 

When they were younger, and Izzy had been buying her own clothes for a while, and they’d been getting more and more extravagant and decorative, he’d asked her why. Weren’t those shoes uncomfortable? Wasn’t that short hem irritating to keep down? Wasn’t constantly adjusting that strapless top tiresome? She had replied with a long and complex explanation that she didn’t seem to fully understand herself, but eventually she’d summed it all up as such; Putting on her beauty was like putting on armor. She knew she was beautiful even without eyeliner and lipstick and six inch heels and a push-up bra, but it all made her stronger and untouchable. Which seemed weird, because baring that much skin would’ve done the opposite.

 

Alec got it now.

 

Magnus was grinning like a cat that’d gotten the cream. “Alexander, I would love to.”

 

It was perplexing, much more so than the clothes. Magnus explained each step to him as he did it- this spray was primer, it would keep everything from tracking or smearing, this was highlighter, this was contour, this was eyeliner, this was an eyelash curler, this was eyeshadow. He did his own and Alec’s at the same time, often using magic to change a shade of something just so. The worst part was the eyeliner and the eyelash curler, but everything else was rather nice- soft sponges gently dabbing over his cheekbones, the most silky brush gliding over his nose and brow, the rub of a thumb across his lips to smudge something just so.

 

“Okay. You’re done,” Magnus said breathlessly. Alec turned to look in the mirror- he’d faced Magnus the whole time, back-to the vanity.

 

“Whoa.”

 

He had expected to see a sort of halloween face, with a thick mask of makeup, or a man in makeup. Something clownish and ridiculous. That wasn’t what he saw at all.

 

He saw himself, but… sharper. More angular. His bone structure was contoured out just enough to make him look edgy and ethereal, his eyes looked larger than ever, his mouth glossy and sensual. Magnus had skipped on most colors- he didn’t have any bright eyeshadow or dark lipstick- but had outlined his eyes with black, and a single line of gold over his lids and out a bit past the edge of his eye. He didn’t have colored lipstick, but just a shiny layer of gloss. His cheekbones shimmered a bit when he turned his face, like a post-workout sheen, but the good kind.

 

“Whoa,” he said again. “Mags, this is- you’re- it… amazing. You’re really good at this. I had no idea how much difference it makes, but also how subtle it is. Like, I don’t look like I’m really wearing makeup. I look like me, but I look like… wow.”

 

He immediately ruined Magnus’s work a little by spinning in the chair, tugging Magnus to stand between his legs, and yanking him down for a kiss. When he pulled back, Magnus smiled widely, looking both proud and bashful.

 

“To be fair, I had a pretty spectacular canvas to work on,” Magnus shrugged. He brushed his thumb over Alec’s lip. “Look, now you’ve gone and gotten my blue lipstick all over your mouth. And I had the most perfect blend of neutrals.”

 

“Don’t bother fixing it,” Alec laughed, kissing him again to show that it would be a pointless endeavor.

 

Magnus raised a brow when they finally separated. “Maybe blue was a bad idea. You’re going to end up with blue lip prints all over.”

 

“Mmmm. Sounds great,” Alec drawled, grabbing one last kiss before standing up and taking Magnus’s hand. “So are we ready to go now?”

 

Magnus used their linked hands to spin him into his arms, like some sort of dance TV show. “Vamonos, darling.”

 

They took a car out, which was unusual, but since they were going for the full club experience, Magnus wanted to literally ‘roll up to the club’ in his sports car. Alec didn’t know much about cars- there were none in Idris and New York was a very driver unfriendly place, and Simon’s crappy van was the most he’d ever seen the same vehicle twice- but he could see the appeal of Magnus’s car. It was a McLaren, Magnus told him.

 

“A McLaren 570S, specifically. It’s absolute overkill and I love it,” Magnus laughed. He pulled on the door handle, and Alec took a surprised step back. The door didn’t just open like normal- it lifted up. “Dihedral doors. Nothing says ‘rich bitch’ like these. Gull wing doors are great too, but a little dated, lately.”

 

“Nice,” Alec said a little hesitantly. He was starting to get nervous again. This was a strange world to him, fashion and makeup and cars and style. He could name the style and material of every blade or bow simply by touch, he could talk a seelie in circles, he could kill a demon at 100 meters, but he didn’t know anything about… any of this.

 

“Relax, darling. I know you don’t know what I’m talking about. If you like, I’ll teach you to drive- upstate, of course, absolutely not in the city- and I’ll teach you about cars. I’m just showing off a bit. I tend to do that,” he said lightly.

 

Alec smiled and gave their linked fingers a squeeze. “You’re kind of amazing. You deserve to show off. And yeah, I’d love to learn- maybe not in such a nice car, though,” he said with a wince, imagining it nose down in a ditch.

 

“No, I’d get the crappiest beater Jeep with a punchy clutch and sticky shifter to teach you,” Magnus laughed. 

 

“Maybe some helmets.”

 

“I saw you ride that colossal class demon to the ground last week with two swords in the back of it’s spine. You can do that, you can drive a car,” Magnus assured him, guiding him to the passenger side and letting him in like a proper gentleman. Alec was starting to get that old feeling back- before he was out, before his mother accepted him, before he found love. Like he was broken and wrong, like letting his boyfriend dress him up and sit him in a fancy car and take him out made him less, like the makeup on his face was a sign of weakness, that he was fragile and pathetic and broken-

 

Magnus slid in the door and started the car. It roared to life and Alec could feel the rumble in his bones, and the speakers resumed what they’d been playing the last time the car was running.

 

_ -in my way, cause god makes no mistakes, I’m on the right track, baby, I was born this way- _

 

Magnus cringed, grinning a little, and spun the knob down from blasting to background music. “Sorry, I know this isn’t from her most recent or even second recent album, but sometimes I just-”

 

Alec reached over and turned it up again, listening hard.

 

_ -baby, you were born this way- _ He couldn’t make out all the words, fast and unfamiliar as it was, but the bass rolled up his spine and the lyrics felt like they were waking him up. It was yet another foreign thing, probably the most foreign of all.

 

Magnus was always so confident and open. He wore his emotions on his sleeve, he openly cried or laughed or shouted. If he was angry, he smashed things. If he was sad, he reached out for a hug. If he was… wanting… he simply crawled into Alec’s lap. Growing up as a Lightwood, in the Institute, in Idris, Alexander had been taught to keep everything collected and professional. You don’t beam, you smile gently. You don’t roar with laughter, you chuckle lightly. You don’t cry at all. You remain composed and calm and never show emotion or intention. You don’t listen to loud music. You don’t dance. You don’t dress up, or wear makeup. You don’t be gay.

 

He was in a sports car with his warlock boyfriend, he had shimmer on his cheeks and chains on his shirt and pants that were taut over his ass, and the woman in the song was hollering her entire soul out for the world to hear.

 

“This is my world,” he realized. Magnus turned and raised a brow curiously. He shook his head. “I mean- this… god, I’ve missed out on so much. I don’t know this music, I don’t listen to music ever. I don’t go out unless it’s for work. You’re my first boyfriend. I just-” he started to laugh, and he had a weird lump in his throat, but it was joy, not sadness, and he could barely talk around it. “This is everything I’ve ever wanted. Damn. This is literally everything I never thought I could have.”

 

The sense of being in a strange world was gone. He was eager to be a part of this all, like it was a piece of his life he’d missed out on, a piece of himself he’d always denied and never expected to have, ever.

 

Magnus reached over and stroked his face. “Babe. You’re making me sad.. But also really happy.”

 

Alec shook his head again. “Sorry. I don’t mean to- this is your day, not mine.”

 

“You know what makes my day? Making yours. Your happiness is mine, tenfold. I love you.”

 

“I love you too!” Alec shouted it, leaning forward even a little, then throwing himself back in the seat, grinning so hard it hurt his face. He turned the music up another two notches. “Let’s go party!”

 

Magnus laughed delightedly, caught up in the excitement, and stomped on the gas, roaring them out of the parking garage like they were going to lift off the ground, like they were escaping something, running away, running toward everything else.

 

They pulled up to the club, and Alexander knew it was about Magnus, he was doing this for Magnus, but he couldn't help but feel swept up when Magnus stopped in front, opened his door, and tosses his keys to a valet without even looking. He swaggered around the car and then he was opening Alec’s ridiculous door, and offering him his elbow.

 

Alec unfolded himself from the car and took his arm, feeling an extra kick in his step. The people on the street and out front stared, and he felt it all- but not as the hot, uncomfortable gawk that it usually felt like. This felt powerful. He got why Magnus liked this so much.

 

In the club, they found Magnus’s couch on the short dais, where he would lord over the crowd. The normal group of beautiful and intimidating people was gone, and instead there was Izzy, Jace, Clary, Simon, Raphael, Dot, and Catarina. They were all beautiful, but much more approachable.

 

“They're not staying the whole night- just here for cupcakes and drinks,” Alec said directly into Magnus’s ear, the only way to be heard over the bass heartbeat of the club.

 

“Cupcakes?” Magnus repeated, smiling broadly.

 

“German chocolate with a rum buttercream filling and butterscotch swirl ganache,” Dot said, raising her glass to them as they approached. “Your favorite. Happy birthday.”

 

“And who told you? Who told you all?” Magnus cried, somewhat exasperated.

 

“I did, goldfish-brain,” she laughed. “You told me that once when we got trashed in Quebec.”

 

“I have no idea what you're talking about,” Magnus huffed. Alec put a drink in his hand.

 

“Cheers,” he said, clinking his own glass against Magnus’s. He had a glass of pear cider (one of the few drinks that didn't make him cringe, along with champagne, pink moscato, and most slushy fruity drinks) and Magnus had an unpronounceable martini. Alec had just told the bar to bring their favorites.

 

“I want a cupcake,” Magnus said, still pouting. Alec shrugged and dropped down on the couch, pulling him alongside him. He grabbed a cupcake and began to peel the wrapper off. Magnus reached for it, but he twisted away, stretching his arms out and blocking it with his body.

 

“Those are for me, for my birthday!”

 

Alec finished unwrapping it and finally turned and held it up. Isabelle began to sing happy birthday, and everyone joined in, including several exuberant strangers in the surrounding area.

 

Alec’s voice cracked when Magnus, instead of taking the cupcake, leaned forward and sunk his teeth into it, moaning exaggeratedly as he did. He could see Jace cracking up over Magnus’s shoulder, and glared at him.

 

Magnus took a cupcake as well and decided to feed that to Alec as well, and then Clary was holding one up for Jace, and then Simon was offering one to Isabelle, and then-

 

Jace had bitten one of Clary’s fingers, predictably going too far. But they were perfect for each other- she shoved the remaining cupcake and frosting half up his nose. And then he wiped a glob on her face, and she crashed into Simon, and his cupcake went flying-

 

Soon enough, it was an all-out frosting war, bits of chocolate cake, rum filling, and ganache everywhere. Alec was laughing, and Magnus was laughing, and everyone was acting generally immature. If Magnus hadn't owned the club, they would've been kicked out. It took several minutes of hollering and cackling for it to end.

 

“You guys are great,” Magnus cried, still laughing. He had frosting in his hair and cake smeared under his eye. “Seriously. I didn't need anything for my birthday, I usually don't even celebrate it, but… this is really nice of everyone. Thank you,” he said earnestly. The group cheered and raised their glasses again.

 

Before he could, Dot magicked away the mess, leaving them all cleaned of cupcake.

 

“I was going to do that,  _ after _ I finished licking it of Alexander’s neck,” Magnus protested lightly.

 

“Happy birthday. Save your magic for when the real magic starts, eh?” she said suggestively, winking at Alec. Magnus wrapped an arm around his waist possessively.

 

“Mine,” he said firmly. “He doesn't even have a mustache.”

 

Alec had finished his drink, and was letting a bartender pour him another. Alec barely spared him a glance and a courteous thank-you. When he turned back to Magnus, he got an immediate kiss and a whispered praise.

 

“What? What did I do?” he asked, confused. Magnus just laughed and shook his head.

 

“I suppose I've just found you to be very different than my last serious relationship. Did you even notice the bartender?”

 

“What? I- did I do something wrong? Was I rude?” Alex asked worriedly.

 

“No, it's just- a shockingly beautiful man with dark dreadlocks and resting bedroom eyes and pecs that rose and fell about six inches with each breath just poured you a drink, and you barely looked at him. I'm just not used to feeling so secure about our relationship.”

 

Alec’s worry dropped from his face, and he returned the kiss. “Well, you'd better get used to it.”

 

Izzy was suddenly there, grabbing Magnus’s hand that wasn't around Alec. “Are you two gonna act like saps all night, or are we gonna dance?”

 

“I- uh. I don't… I dont know how to dance,” Alec realized suddenly. He'd been so caught up with dressing up and arranging everything to be perfect, he'd forgotten that pretty much the whole point of a club was to dance. He felt rather silly.

 

“That's such a cop-out. Nobody just instantly knows how to dance. You learn. Just like everything else, it takes work and practice,” Magnus said. “I hate it when people just say they can't dance because they're a bad dancer. There's no such thing- only an unpracticed dancer.”

 

“Guess I'd better get practicing then,” Alec said, allowing Izzy to not so gently herd their group out to the dancing area. It was crowded, hot, dim, and damp. The floor was shiny and wet with spilled drinks, the air smelled of the humidity that came from a lot of living things in a small area, the lights flashed and spun along with the thundering beat. Alec had thought it was loud in their booth, radiating up through his feet, but now the very atmosphere pulsed with it, and his heartbeat felt like it was trying to sync with the pounding.

 

“You're a quick learner. Now, move to the beat, with my body. Faster isn't necessarily better. Excitement is good, but sensuous motion is better. Look at the crowd, find the people who move confidently and in a way that's clearly attractive, mimic them, learn their moves. Figure out dancing a piece at a time- start with your hips and torso, then add the feet, then the rest. Don't be taut and stiff, let your body relax and move. You and the music are a branch in the wind. Let it move you, ride it,” Magnus spoke directly in his ear, the only way to be heard this close to the speakers.

 

And… Alec got it.

 

Alec was a exceptional shadowhunter. He didn't have Jace’s raw talent, or Isabelle’s unorthodox cleverness, or Max’s stunning smarts. But he stayed level with them, and even surpassed them in some fields, simply because he refused to be anything but exceptional. He practiced, he observed, he studied. He worked twice as hard as they did, but he kept even.

 

And this- this was just another case of practicing, observing, and studying. This wasn't dancing the way he thought it would be. There weren't good dancers and bad dancers. There were simply skilled dancers and unskilled dancers.

 

He was renown for his speed and mastery when it came to acquiring new skills.

 

This would be no different, he decided.

 

First he let Magnus guide him to learn the beat. Magnus was keeping it simple, shifting his weight, moving his feet a little, letting first one hand, then the other, play over Alec’s shoulders. Easy enough. Alec allowed himself to be led, matching his body to Magnus’s. As soon as he'd realized this was no different than learning a new fighting form or sparring sequence, he had let his body go loose and fluid, that peculiar mix of relaxed and easy to change directions, but simultaneously tense and ready to react. He'd been using and moving his body like a finely tuned instrument for all his life, and this was of the same vein.

 

He saw a girl in a startlingly purple dress undulating, chest then stomach then hips then knees, against her partner, and he easily replicated the move.

 

Magnus’s breath was hot and surprised against his jaw when he did it. He felt that thrill of power again.

 

He observed, learned, and repeated what he saw until he felt aware enough of how this all worked to mix his own motions. Soon he was dragging his own hands up his body and rocking his hips half time at the opposite beat of the music, shoulders rolling and mouth open. If Magnus’s expression was anything to go by, he was doing very, very,  _ very  _ well.

 

Alec’s uncertainty and insecurity fell away. He felt both alone, solitary with only Magnus and that heady bass, and united, like the crowd was a many-faced motion-beast and he was just a small part of one entire being.

 

The space between he and Magnus opened and closed, like two hands applauding, like the ocean tide on a beach. They teased and pleased each other with their bodies and eyes, sometimes laughing, sometimes gasping, but infinitely aware of each other.

 

He felt so connected with him that he almost felt his touch before Magnus’s hand even linked with his.

 

“The club is about to close, do you want to go home?” Magnus asked him. “Nothing ruins the mood quite like abrupt silence and tungsten lights.”

 

“Sure,” Alec said, but he was a little surprised. How long had they been dancing? He allowed his boyfriend to tug him by the fingertips back out of the club and to the car. They were both laughing a bit, long sobered up from their forgotten drinks (they had been too busy dancing to even consider walking the distance from the floor to the bar) but intoxicated with crowd energy, music hype, and the chemistry between lovers.

 

“That was amazing,” Magnus said, beating Alec to the punch as they slid into the car. Alec didn't realize how much his feet ached until he took his weight off them, and was surprised to feel how sweat soaked his torso was when he leaned back against the cool leather seat.

 

“It really was, though,” Alec agreed.

 

“No, I mean… this is the best birthday I've ever had.” He sounded awed by it, a little baffled, but mostly joyous. “I've had several centuries of birthdays, but none can even hold a candle to this. I'm serious,” he said when Alec snorted. “I've had fun birthdays and boring birthdays and exciting, forgotten birthdays, but never one like this. From start to finish. It was perfect. Thank you, Alexander.”

 

Maybe it was still the dancing high that made him bold, or the makeup or clothes or some combination of it all. “Don't thank me yet, there's still a little birthday left.”

 

Izzy had been the one to suggest engaging in some sexual fantasies of Magnus’s, but Alec would absolutely not give her credit for his bright idea of letting Magnus bend him over his desk and fuck him, still wearing the blue stilettos.

 

(It might've been a little bit of Alec’s fantasy as well, but nobody had to know.)

 

As he dozed off, Magnus’s silk sheets cool against their heated, entwined skin, each shared exhale ghosted with declarations of love and passion, he was already looking forward to Magnus’s next birthday. He had a year to figure out how to top this one.

**Author's Note:**

> So, I couldn't make this a short story because I got so pulled into it. I was trying to get into a good Magnus headspace and found a 'Magnus Bane' playlist someone made on Spotify, and I just... honestly, I almost started crying at one point, because Alec is just so painfully relatable. Except he actually gets to enjoy all the gay culture and parties and fun he's missed out on. I don't expect I ever will. And that hurt, and I felt like I needed to really do this idea justice. I want Alec to get to experience that scene, I want him to have everything good and pure, I want him to be able to let loose and find his place and his people. I'm not trying to put gay culture in a box- glitter and dancing isn't for everyone, and it's not the only expression of queer culture- but it's kind of the stereotypical example, and I imagine it's what a younger Alec would've seen online, sad and confused and closeted, wishing he could be one of the people smiling like there was no tomorrow.
> 
> Anyways. I hope you all liked it, and please let me know if you've got feedback! I appreciate the heck out of critique and I'm always looking on ways to improve my writing. (There may be a number of spelling or grammatical errors in this, and I apologize- it was mostly written on my phone, as my personal laptop is a POS and I can only submit things on my work laptop.)
> 
> Also, I have a tumblr, my pseud is thefauxfox so come say hi! And I've got one other Shadowhunter universe work up, and another in progress that's a lot less kind to our lovely boys, so if you enjoyed this, keep an eye out for that!


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